Appearances can be deceiving

[MaloStapalo]

So we had a pretty nice looking 97 TJ show up to work today. Paint looked great. Budget parts on it, but some people just want a looks car.

Got a chance to get underneath and this is what I found.

 

[Chris]

Holy hell Batman! That frame is just waiting to fall apart.

This is what we call a 40 yard fake. Looks good from far, but far from good!

 

[Jay P]

I really like that bumper tho! I haven’t seen rust like that in person thankfully


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[JDS123]

Who needs a new frame when you can just weld the rust back together? Why didn't I think of that!?

 

[MaloStapalo]

Holy hell Batman! That frame is just waiting to fall apart.

This is what we call a 40 yard fake. Looks good from far, but far from good!

It's also on 35s. On what I can only assume is stock axles and gearing.

 

[Rob5589]

Nice drainage holes

 

[Chris]

It's also on 35s. On what I can only assume is stock axles and gearing.

That frame is scary. I can see a number of places where they simply welded over the rust.

All it's going to take is a bit of flex and that frame is going to break in two.

 

[JDS123]

That frame is scary. I can see a number of places where they simply welded over the rust.

All it's going to take is a bit of flex and that frame is going to break in two.

The top half of the frame is probably solid. I'd be more worried about hitting a bump and having the front axle fold under the Jeep after the control arm mount breaks off the frame! What a death trap. Hopefully the transmission falls out before someone gets killed...

 

[Chris]

The top half of the frame is probably solid. I'd be more worried about hitting a bump and having the front axle fold under the Jeep after the control arm mount breaks off the frame! What a death trap. Hopefully the transmission falls out before someone gets killed...

I see a section of the frame where it's actually missing a large chunk of metal.

It also looks like that transfer case skid is being held up by welded rust. What concerns me is hitting a bump and having the entire transfer case skid fall out with the transmission and transfer case attached to it.

All I know is I'd be scared to drive around in that thing. There's some really sketchy "repair" work going on there (if you can even call it that).

This should be a prime example of what to avoid when buying a used TJ.

 

[MaloStapalo]

I really like that bumper tho! I haven’t seen rust like that in person thankfully


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I think its smittybuilt. If that's the case, I would spend my money else where for a quality piece.

 

[MaloStapalo]

I see a section of the frame where it's actually missing a large chunk of metal.

It also looks like that transfer case skid is being held up by welded rust. What concerns me is hitting a bump and having the entire transfer case skid fall out with the transmission and transfer case attached to it.

All I know is I'd be scared to drive around in that thing. There's some really sketchy "repair" work going on there (if you can even call it that).

This should be a prime example of what to avoid when buying a used TJ.

It's still here, let me.know if you want anything specific as examples of damage to watch out for.

 

[JDS123]

I see a section of the frame where it's actually missing a large chunk of metal.

It also looks like that transfer case skid is being held up by welded rust. What concerns me is hitting a bump and having the entire transfer case skid fall out with the transmission and transfer case attached to it.

All I know is I'd be scared to drive around in that thing. There's some really sketchy "repair" work going on there (if you can even call it that).

This should be a prime example of what to avoid when buying a used TJ.

Whoever is driving that is either unaware of the oncoming disaster or a complete idiot. I think the driveline falling out is the best case scenario. Terrifying to think that I'm driving on the same roads as these people...

It's still here, let me.know if you want anything specific as examples of damage to watch out for.

I'm not sure about the specifics of your job, but if it is appropriate, I'd definitely tell the owner about the frame if you get the chance. Someone could get seriously hurt with that level of rot.

 

[Chris]

It's still here, let me.know if you want anything specific as examples of damage to watch out for.

I think those pictures you got are good examples. You can see plenty of crap quality welds, welds over rust, holes in the frame, and what looks to be a control arm mount patched on to the frame with an extra piece of metal. It's just a monstrosity!

 

[Jay P]

I think its smittybuilt. If that's the case, I would spend my money else where for a quality piece.

Definitely, my dad is a welder and is working on fabricating something up. I would never put Smittybilt on my rig personally...


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[Chris]

Whoever is driving that is either unaware of the oncoming disaster or a complete idiot. I think the driveline falling out is the best case scenario. Terrifying to think that I'm driving on the same roads as these people...

It's scary for sure. A frame in that condition either needs a lot of work (SafeTcaps) done right, or preferably needs to just be replaced in general. I guess some people assume you can just weld over rust and everything will be fine.

Best case scenario is the drivetrain falls our like you said. I can imagine one of those control arm brackets ripping off going down the highway and hitting a pothole. That would be scary.

 

[MaloStapalo]

Whoever is driving that is either unaware of the oncoming disaster or a complete idiot. I think the driveline falling out is the best case scenario. Terrifying to think that I'm driving on the same roads as these people...



I'm not sure about the specifics of your job, but if it is appropriate, I'd definitely tell the owner about the frame if you get the chance. Someone could get seriously hurt with that level of rot.

Yeah it looks pretty bad. I'm not sure how much longer they will be with us. I work in the hotel business.

Edit they're here for a few days. I'll guage how they are and maybe bring it to their attention.

 

[JDS123]

It's scary for sure. A frame in that condition either needs a lot of work (SafeTcaps) done right, or preferably needs to just be replaced in general. I guess some people assume you can just weld over rust and everything will be fine.

Best case scenario is the drivetrain falls our like you said. I can imagine one of those control arm brackets ripping off going down the highway and hitting a pothole. That would be scary.

I think the transfer case skid usually goes before the control arm brackets rip off. But with this frame, it is really hard to tell. I've seen Jeeps here in Chicago with chains attached to hold the transfer case skid up. Those same people are probably driving 80 mph down the freeway right next to me...

 

[JDS123]

Yeah it looks pretty bad. I'm not sure how much longer they will be with us. I work in the hotel business.

They drove that thing far enough from home to stay in a hotel? Oh boy...

 

[Chris]

Those same people are probably driving 80 mpg down the freeway right next to me...

Seriously? That's scary as hell. That should be illegal. Those people are a danger to themselves and everyone else, they just don't realize it.

This one looks like the entire frame between the transfer case skid rotted out, so he attempted to weld some metal to the frame around the sides, all the while just welding over rust to begin with. Now the transfer case is bolted to this replacement metal, which is still just attached to a rotted frame.

This is why I feel bad for a lot of potential future TJ owners. Unless you really do your research first or have someone knowledgeable to go with you to look at a vehicle, you could end up buying something like this, overpaying for it, and then finding out once you join a forum what kind of mess you've gotten yourself into.

If this guy were to sell that thing, it probably wouldn't even be worth 5k. You'd need to sink 8-10k into it alone.

 

[Kiwi TJ]

Over here they call that a 'Polished turd'....nice and shiny on top but a disaster underneath.
That wouldn't be allowed on the road out here we have a 'Warrant of fitness' check every six months....if it doesn't pass its not legal and off the road until its fixed